[meteorite-list] Suspected Meteorite Goes Through WindowinIllinois

From: MexicoDoug <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 16:08:37 -0600
Message-ID: <008c01c7603b$ff0c94a0$25cf5ec8_at_0019110394>

Hi Chris, Rob, List,

Meteorite goes through the window ... or science thrown out the window?

But Chris, if you are that generous with the benefit of doubt, to be
consistent, what general effect would the lift, drag, and related
turbulence, have caused on this fragile lightweight during the final part
of ablating 'flight' - as there are no signs of orientation and density
could have reached up to 10% sea level :-)

Quick someone better classify that airfoil integrity for the DoD :-)

Did the (dust) devil done it? Chicago is the 'Windy' City, though this
historically refers to all the 'hot air'.

Best wishes,
Doug
PS Rob, It is a student run paper ... Eric is a friendly, very busy 20 year
old sophomore Honor student in college who has won awards in journalism. He
was just quoting the professors. He mentioned he wasn't there when they
calculated the 71 degree angle, that it was probably Robert 'Skip' Nelson
(Illinois geo and aerial photography interpretation) and James Day (Fossils)
with the help of one person in the Physics department. The calculations
were on the blackboard when the reporter got there. Finally, apparently
they are sending the candidate meteorite 'to NASA' for testing. Eric
mentioned that the piece appeared to have traces of rust in parts but that
this was definitely not a major trait.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Peterson" <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 1:11 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Suspected Meteorite Goes Through
WindowinIllinois


> > Was Mr. Heisig snooping around on MeteoriteCentral yesterday? ;-)
> > Whoops -- I was off by 1 degree on the angle. Guess that computer
> > desk is a little shallower than I imagined, or the homeowner has
> > bedroom windows more than 8 feet off the floor. Whether 19 degrees
> > or 20 degrees from vertical, it still isn't possible for an iron
> > meteorite without the benefit of a carom off an object outside that
> > window.
>
> That was my first thought, too (I've certainly modeled enough falls).
> But on giving the matter more thought, I note that the shape of this
> object is rather wing like. That being the case, especially given its
> small size and low weight, I don't see why aerodynamics as it tumbled
> couldn't impart a certain degree of horizontal velocity. Consider how a
> leaf falls to the ground. This horizontal component would be random and
> probably time-variant, with no relation to the original fall direction
> (assuming this is a meteorite, which seems doubtful).
>
> Chris
>
> *****************************************
> Chris L Peterson
> Cloudbait Observatory
> http://www.cloudbait.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Matson, Robert" <ROBERT.D.MATSON at saic.com>
> To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 11:55 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Suspected Meteorite Goes Through Window
> inIllinois
>
>
> > Hi All,
> >
> >> Suspected meteorite goes through window
> >> Eric Heisig
> >> The Daily Vidette
> >> March 6, 2007
> >>
> >> At a 71-degree angle, going 60 mph, an object went through the house
> >> of Bloomington residents David and Dee Riddle at 9:40 a.m. Monday
> >> morning.
> >
> > Was Mr. Heisig snooping around on MeteoriteCentral yesterday? ;-)
> > Whoops -- I was off by 1 degree on the angle. Guess that computer
> > desk is a little shallower than I imagined, or the homeowner has
> > bedroom windows more than 8 feet off the floor. Whether 19 degrees
> > or 20 degrees from vertical, it still isn't possible for an iron
> > meteorite without the benefit of a carom off an object outside that
> > window.
> >
> >> From there, the Fire Department came with Geiger counters to make
> >> sure it was not radioactive.
> >
> > Can someone please go on "American Idol" or "Deal or No Deal" or
> > "QI" and tell the world that meteorites are not measurably
> > radioactive by Fire Department Geiger counters?
> >
> >> Crime scene officials also came to investigate the ballistics
> >> of the impact. "They did say it was a meteorite, but it needed
> >> to be tested," Riddle said.
> >
> > So now CSI personnel are experts at meteorite identification?
> >
> >> Professors from ISU were also called to look at the scene and
> >> many of them, after dong some preliminary studies, said they
> >> speculate it is a meteorite. "From what I know, this is
> >> consistent with meteorites," Jay Anser, a general education
> >> lab coordinator for the department of Physics, said.
> >
> > "General education lab coordinator"? Did they ask the high
> > school principal or the janitor for their opinions, too?
> >
> >> Dave Malone, a professor in the department of Geology, said
> >> he is 80 percent sure this is a meteorite.
> >
> > Nice try, Mr. Malone. Please have a seat.
> >
> >> It is uncommon for meteorites to actually hit the ground.
> >
> > This sentence has to be the best quote from the whole article!
> > But wait ... not so fast. They're sort of right -- 70% of them
> > hit water!
> >
> >> Even if the geologists at ISU are certain, there are tests
> >> that need to be done to confirm whether or not it is a
> >> meteorite.
> >
> > What do you mean, "tests?" I thought a show of hands was all
> > we needed? After all, that's how "science" works for Global
> > Warming -- if 90% of scientists say it's true, then by golly
> > it must be. The science is settled!
> >
> >> The object will need to be sent out in order to determine
> >> whether or not it is in fact a meteorite.
> >
> > I'm picturing a scene similar to the following exchange
> > from _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_...
> >
> > BEDEMIR: There are ways of telling whether she is a witch.
> > CROWD: Are there? What are they?
> > BEDEMIR: Tell me, what do you do with witches?
> > VILLAGER #2: Burn!
> > CROWD: Burn, burn them up!
> > BEDEMIR: And what do you burn apart from witches?
> > VILLAGER #1: More witches!
> > VILLAGER #2: Wood!
> > BEDEMIR: So, why do witches burn?
> > [pause]
> > VILLAGER #3: B--... 'cause they're made of wood...?
> > BEDEMIR: Goooood!
> > CROWD: Oh yeah, yeah...
> > BEDEMIR: So, how do we tell whether she is made of wood?
> > VILLAGER #1: Build a bridge out of her.
> > BEDEMIR: Aah, but can you not also build bridges out of stone?
> > VILLAGER #2: Oh, yeah.
> > BEDEMIR: Does wood sink in water?
> > VILLAGER #1: No, no.
> > VILLAGER #2: It floats! It floats!
> > VILLAGER #1: Throw her into the pond! Tie weights on her!
> > CROWD: The pond!
> > BEDEMIR: What also floats in water?
> > VILLAGER #1: Bread!
> > VILLAGER #2: Apples!
> > VILLAGER #3: Very small rocks! [ed. Meteorites? ;-)]
> > VILLAGER #1: Cider!
> > VILLAGER #2: Great gravy!
> > VILLAGER #1: Cherries!
> > VILLAGER #2: Mud!
> > VILLAGER #3: Churches -- churches!
> > VILLAGER #2: Lead -- lead!
> > SIR ARTHUR: A duck.
> > CROWD: Ooooooh.....
> > BEDEMIR: Exactly! So, logically...
> > VILLAGER #1: If... she.. weighs the same as a duck ..., she's
> > made of wood.
> > BEDEMIR: And therefore--?
> > VILLAGER #1: A witch!
> > CROWD: A witch!
> > BEDEMIR: We shall use my larger scales!
> >
> > (Suspected witch on one pan of a giant equal-arm balance, a
> > duck on the other...)
> >
> > BEDEMIR: Right, remove the supports!
> > [whop]
> > [creak]
> > (Pans balance perfectly.)
> >
> > CROWD: A witch! A witch!
> > WITCH: It's a fair cop.
>
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Received on Tue 06 Mar 2007 05:08:37 PM PST